UNC Tar Heels Pay Respects To Late Wide Receiver Tylee Craft

The University of North Carolina Tar Heels suffered a tragic loss on Saturday after news broke that wide receiver Tylee Craft had died after a long battle with a rare form of lung cancer.

He was just 23 years old.

Craft was a graduate student at UNC who missed his junior and senior seasons after being diagnosed with stage four large-cell neuroendocrine carcinoma in March 2022.

The Tar Heels program announced Craft's death on Saturday afternoon.

"It is with love and fond memories that we announce Tylee Craft has begun his journey on the other side," the program's statement reads. "Tylee meant so much to so many and affected us in ways we’ll always be thankful for. 

"He was 1-of-1 and, while he won’t be with us in body, he’ll be watching over us with his endearing smile and endless positivity. On behalf of his family and our program, we sincerely thank everyone who supported Tylee during his battle with cancer. It means more than you know. With love and affection, #TyleeStrongForever"

Saturday's game was the Tar Heels "Cancer Awareness Game," which had been planned ahead of time.

Craft was honored ahead of Saturday's game with all UNC players taking the field for warm-ups wearing "TyleeStrong" shirts.

After the first quarter, the team held an emotional ceremony with the Sumter, South Carolina native's family on the field for a video tribute and a 13-second moment of silence.

Head coach Mack Brown revealed after the game that he wasn't told about Craft's passing until after the game.

According to Bleacher Report, Brown told reporters on October 5 following UNC's game against Pitt that Craft — who had been a presence around the program during his battle — had been hospitalized.

Craft was also honored before UNC basketball's Blue-White scrimmage, something that according to The Athletic had been planned before his passing.